Earrings – Shark Teeth & Turquoise

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Earrings

Fossilized Shark Tooth Pierced Earrings.

Fossilized Shark Tooth Pierced Earrings. Total shark tooth weight of 2.6 gms. with 8mm diameter Turquoise beads and silver wire. Price: $59.50 + tax.

Fossilized Shark Teeth Pierced Earrings are here! They delicately suspend 2.6 grams total weight shark teeth dating back as far as 25 million years ago. Tom Szabo finds shark teeth, whale bone, manatee bone and other fossilized bone and teeth while diving in the Gulf Of Mexico off the coast of Florida. He is a jeweler, photographer and scuba instructor.

An 8mm Turquoise bead compliments the charcoal colored teeth and silver plated wire. Tom designed and made this set by hand. Treat yourself or that special someone in your life with jewelry that are one-of-a-find. Because of the rarity of these shark teeth, there can never be a duplicate set. Another pair might be similar, but they will not be identical.

This pair can be yours for $59.50 plus handling and shipping. You can learn more by exploring the web site at: www.tom-szabo.com. Contact Tom directly for other jewelry items and custom pieces.

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Your Rights – Public Photography

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Your Rights

Often photographers will ask about their right to photograph people in public? Do I need a release? Let’s start by asking where are you? Legal rights vary from country to country. They may even vary from state to state or city to city. With technology being what it is today, you might start out on Google. Some countries may say OK, but some cultures there may say NO!

Generally here in the states, I will compare my situation that of a photo-journalist. What do they do relative to photographing in public? Often, they will record names and location to identify the subject in print. You don’t see the photographer asking someone in public to sign a release. The time spent getting their subject’s name allows time to discuss usage and any problems publishing the photograph. This may not necessarily address any legal issues, but it sure gives the subject the right to ask not to have their image published. You might also use this time to offer to send a print as a “thank you”.

Here in northeast Ohio, we have a big event coming to town, the Republican National Convention. There will be a lot of people here in town, offering lots of photo opportunities. You may even spot some celebrities. With that in mind, you might want to learn more about your rights and the subjects rights. A panel discussion is being put on by the National Press Photographer Association (NPPA) at Cleveland State University. You will need to register for this free event.

Musician playing banjo on stage.

Workin’ a bad banjo!

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Photographing Flowers – Easy?

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Photographing Flowers!

In a recent article by Hana Tavener for I-News – The Essential Daily Briefing, she listed five suggestions to help you photograph flowers.

1 – Get Close

2 – Focus/Depth of Field

3 – The Whole Wide World (or field of view)

4 – Timed To Perfection (Time lapse)

5 – Vary Your Conditions

You can learn more by reading the entire article.

Let me suggest that you look over the 5 topics listed above. Do you see anything that says walk up to a flower and push the button? Of course not. To create good photography, you need to to use the gray matter between your ears – your BRAIN. Learning a little about photography also helps. That means reading to learn about your camera, exposure, composition and of course shoot and shoot and shoot some more. You can’t create art by buying the most expensive camera and simply point it at a subject.

First of all let’s get down to basics – your smart phone is NOT smart! You are a “Human” with the power to learn and think. That also means applying what you’re thinking and learning. So by all means, read. Then go out and apply what you read by shooting. That’s how you become a better photographer (vs. a “pitcher-taker”).

In addition, search for well known photographers. read what they write and study their work. It really helps. Good luck and keep shooting.

purple cone flower

Purple Cone Flower shot in author’s back yard.

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Underwater Archeology Site

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Archeology

Diving archeologists have been working on a site in a Florida river. The results are helping to dispute that the Clovis group were the first humans to be in the area. The sire has exposed an ancient butchering site for Mastodons. To learn more, read on……

If your interested in underwater archeology, please check out the Maritime Archeological Survey Team (MAST). The group provide basic and advanced classes in underwater archeology. Specifically related to shipwrecks. Or contact Tom Szabo via this site’s Contact page.

MAST diver

A diver records details for a MAST underwater archeology class.

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Photography As Therapy!

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Therapy – Ahhhhhh.

Photography as therapy?

Ask any photographer and they’ll tell you they started out as a “pitcher-taker”. After all the gear, classes, workshops and pulls of the shutter, they’ll tell you how now they now spend more time concentrating on creating their art. In fact, they may tell you how therapeutic their art is for them. You can’t worry about things in your life when you’re concentrating on creating something.

Chris Gambat explores this concept in his article: Photography as a Form of Personal Therapy. Give it a read. If you start to use photography to relax, maybe you’ll notice your work becoming creative art. That’s not a bad thing!

Anchor Winch

Anchor winch from 19th century vessel in 27 feet of water.

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Pin Hole Camera – Make Your Own

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Pin Hole Camera – Make Your Own

Pin Hole Camera? What’s that you ask? This is the most simple form of film photography you’ll find. It’s a great way to make your own camera and learn more about photography. If you have kids, they’ll be intrigued also. Remember film is light sensitive, so you have to devise a way to protect your film for handling. Also, film needs to be developed, so you may want to learn how that works also.

This article came through my inbox. It has some photos of other pin hole cameras and “How-Tos”. These are great for black and white film. If you have any questions or want more information, feel free to email, text or call me. Enjoy the read!

tom-szabo.com, tom szabo, jeweler, photographer, scuba instructor

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Scuba Diving In Key Largo, FL

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Scuba Diving In Key Largo, FL

Scuba Diving In Key Largo, FL

In March of 2016, my wife Diane and I vacationed in Florida. What a great time to leave NE Ohio!

Out With The Old!

As a photographer, it’s important to use updated camera gear. So when it came time to consider updating my main studio camera body, I was faced with what to do with my camera and housing for my underwater photography? The plan was to upgrade my main camera body to a Canon 70D. My older Canon T3i would become my back up body. Problem: The T3i would not fit my current Ikelite Housing, urgh! I called my good friend and Ikelite rep, Dave Haas (Haas Images).

Dave’s suggestion: Sell both camera bodies (T3i & Xsi) and the Ikelite Housing. Then purchase the Canon 70D, Canon SL1 DSLRs and the housing for the Canon SL1. After evaluating the economics of all this, I made the decision to move forward. In addition, this needed to be done for my trip to Florida. This would be a good chance to try the equipment while diving.

Canon T3i DSLR camera body.

Canon T3i DSLR camera body.

XSi DSLR Body

Canon XSi DSLR Camera body.

Ikelite camera housing

Ikelite underwater housing for a Canon XSi DSLR camera body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problems With Poor Viz!

After arriving in Florida, the first dives were to search for more fossil material for my jewelry line. Diving off Venice, FL means diving the gulf side of Florida. As a result the water temperature was around 66 to 69 degrees and visibility ranged from 1 to 3 feet. Certainly do-able for fossil hunting. Not so great for photography.

After checking out of Siesta Key, we made the drive to Key Largo, FL. Diving conditions improved. Water temps were around 74 to 76 degrees and visibility ran 40 to 60 feet. After getting the new Canon SL1 set up in the housing, a trip to the pool was in order for some testing. Later, it was off to the dive boat. I only had time for 2 days of diving, so photography time was premium. You can see the results by checking out my images from Key Largo.

Anchor Winch

Anchor winch from 19th century vessel in 27 feet of water.

Your comments are welcomed!

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Light, It’s All About The Light!

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Light, It’s all about the light.

Light! My wife Diane and I like to vacation at Siesta Key Florida. The beach has the softest and whitest sand you’ll see anywhere. During our walks on the soft powder white sand, Diane gets tired of my commentary on the people taking photos with their cell phone cameras. It generally goes something like this “there’s another photo that won’t turn out very well!”

Even though she gets tired of listening to me, I’m right. Two major problems I see: Stop putting the sun at your subjects back! Number two, move in closer. So let me spend some time again talking about lighting. Why my comment about sun placement? Camera sensors don’t have the capability that our brain does. Sensors can’t adjust the image we see through our eye and correct the exposure. Don’t believe me? Take the scenario I just described and experiment. Put the sun behind your subjects back. Look at their face. I’m sure you’ll see the detail in the face. That’s because our brain and eyes work together to adjust the lighting and see the detail. Now take the picture. How much detail do you see in the near black orb called the face. Almost none.

So how do you fix this problem. You have to train your eye to evaluate scenes for lighting. Look for the highlights and the shadows. Make slight adjustments in subject positioning to reduce the amount of shadow in the subject. Take a picture after your adjustment to see the results and continue to adjust your subject. Eventually you’ll begin to learn what works.

Another way to learn is to observe what other photographers do. I’m not saying to copy their technique as much as observe and adjust. Evaluate the lighting of the scene and subject to see how they work with light. Look at what award winning photographer Irene Chen has accomplished in her photography. Although she uses studio lighting for the award winning images, see how she uses control over lighting to work her magic. Read more about her work.

You’re welcomed to ask me questions. Or just give me your comments.

Film used in family portrait photography. Light.

Portrait photographers strive for detail in their final prints.

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Photo Phuss – So What?

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Photo Phuss – So What?

Photo Phuss is created by professional photographers. Nope, it’s not a new technique. It strictly involves money! Photographers make money by creating pleasing images and $elling them. With the proliferation of cell phone cameras and photo based websites, images are considered fair game for sharing and theft.

Example: You’ve taken what you think is a great photo of your baby and posted it on Instagram. At your next visit to the baby isle at the store you see your adorable baby on the disposable diaper packaging. Here’s a multi-billion dollar company making millions of dollars of profit off your child’s image without your permission or without any compensation to you. Imagine your child’s college fund going down the toilet. Is your response going to be – wait till me friends see my picture on the package? Probably not. You’re going to want some form of compensation – like a lot!

This is the same issue photographers face everytime someone scans one of their prints then goes to the discount store to print an 8X10. It’s the same lost revenue to the photographer. Or expecting a photographer to simply give you a free copy of a digital image file. Check out what Chris Gampat has to say about Instagram. Let me know your thoughts.

Portrait of baby

Don’t you think I’m cool?

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Film Photography – Dead?

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Film Photography – Really?

Film, remember that stuff? With the explosion of digital cameras today, most of you would likely wonder why shoot on film? Let me back you up a bit. Before digital, you had to put more thought into your photography based on the type of shooting and light conditions. You selected film to support your planned shooting.

Cameras were available in varying sizes. The size concept was based on the physical size of the negative you were shooting. Real photographers would argue the benefits of shooting 35mm, 2-1/4, 4X5 and 8X10. Who cares, you say. Well it all boiled down to the larger the size of the negative, the sharper and more detailed the print. Speed was also an indication of the density of the film. The better the density of the negative, the better the image quality. So if you could record an image on a larger negative size, then you could get incredible detail in your print. That is what photographers would strive for.

So here comes this photographer, Pali Kalsi. He started photographing on the larger formats and got intrigued by the results. To the point where he decided to build an 11X14 camera. Those of you who still remember film cameras and negatives, think back to the negative size for a 35 mm camera. Now imagine a negative 11 inches by 14 inches. The detail in an 11X14 print would be simply amazing.

For more details and to see some of Pali Kalsi’s work, check out this article. As always, let me know your thoughts!

Film used in family portrait photography.

Portrait photographers strive for detail in their final prints.

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Scuba Season Around the Corner!

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Scuba Season Around the Corner!

Scuba – If you are a diver in Northeast Ohio and you’re looking for a dive buddy, let me know. My schedule permits for a flexible dive schedule, weekdays and weekends. A good place for local diving is Whitestar Quarry.

If you’re interested in diving Lake Erie, consider volunteering for MAST. Members perform archeological surveys of sunken ships. Have fun and help document our maritime history. Check out the MAST website for more information.

You can reach me at the following:

Tom Szabo

440-354-2535 (Office)

440-725-6504 (Cell)

Apex Predator - pacific reef shark. Scuba Dive

Apex Predator – pacific reef shark.

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Lion Fish Inavade Atlantic Ocean

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Almost every diver who’s been the the western Pacific Ocean will come home bragging they saw Lion Fish. They are a beautiful species! However, they’ve become a big problem in the Atlantic Ocean. Why? They are considered an invasive species. Lion Fish are very prolific. They can lay upwards of 30,000 eggs every 4 to 5 days.

Lion Fish live on the small reef fish and their numbers are dwindling. That means  the juvenile fish needed to maintain fish populations could be gone. The smaller reef fish eat algae which keeps coral healthy.

To help combat the problem divers have taken to spear fishing Lion Fish. In a lot of locations the season for them is wide open. In fact many restaurants welcome the fish for their menu.

Cayman Islands has announced this weekend will be a Lion Fish hunting weekend making a big event out of it. So if your in the Cayman Islands this weekend, get your spear ready, dive in and  go hunting.

Lion Fish, tom-szabo.com Vieques 11 057

Lion Fish have hypodermic like venomous spines.

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Scuba Divers Set World Record

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Tom Szabo

How cool is this? 173 scuba divers in Italy set a new world record for the longest underwater chain of divers. They even have a video showing it happening. I’d love to do this!

 

https://www.deeperblue.com/italian-scuba-divers-break-guinness-world-record-for-longest-underwater-human-chain/

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School Pictures And Special Deals

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Tom Szabo

School Picture Business

School pictures are a real tradition for families. People often ask if I provide that service. My answer: well I’d like to. I learned a long time ago this is a very difficult market to break into. Schools have told me they are under contract with large photography studios for the service and in addition, the school gets a cut of sales. One of the biggest contract term that’s a barrier for me is the no competitor clause. These contracts often prohibits another photographer from suppling promotions to students within the school.

In fact, the picture business made the news in Washington, D.C. on the local News Channel 4 report. Please don’t think I’m angry or upset about their practices. I just wish I could participate on some level.

tom szabo, jeweler, photographer, scuba instructor. tom-szabo.com

This high school senior portrait uses 3 colors, skin tone, white and red.

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Jewelry – What’s In A Name

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Jewelry – Name Needed!

So many of you may be aware of my new line of jewelry. The line is based on fossilized shark teeth, whale bone and manatee bone. There’s a couple photos to show some samples of my work.

Here’s the question. I don’t have a name for the jewelry line. Some suggestions are: Jewels of the Sea, Sea Gems, Sea Jewels, Ocean Gems, By the Sea, Long Islands, Bite Me, Ocean Secrets. One of my thoughts was “Ocean Sands”, especially since the materials are found in the sand on the bottom of the ocean.

So do any of you have any suggestions? OR vote for one of the names listed above. I’m curious about your thoughts!! To learn more.

Sand Tiger Tooth & Turquoise gem silver necklace.

1.2 gm Sand Tiger tooth and 1.5 gm Turquoise gem on 18 in silver necklace. Item number: SH1.2/TU1.5-18S
Price: $99.95 + tax & shipping.

Manatee Bone on Gold Necklace

4 Manatee Bone segments, 9.1 gm total fossil weight, On 18 in. gold color necklace. Item number: MB4-09.1-18G
Price: $49.95 + tax & shipping

Jewelry, Megalodon shark tooth necklace

2-1/8″ Megalodon shark tooth, silver plated wire wrap on a silver plated chain.

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Baby Portrait

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Baby Portrait

Baby portraits can be fun or a disaster – trust me! If you have a 6 month old child, wake them from their nap, bundle them up, put them in a strange location, in front of a stranger and tell me what you expect? Yep, one unhappy little child.

I’ve had plenty of little ones in the studio. Best description – a crap shoot! You just never know how things are going to go. Over energetic. Screaming. Crying. You name kids will do a lot to indicate their lack of interest in being photographed.

Recently Grandma and Grandpa brought their 6 month old into the studio for a portrait sitting. This little guy was one of my top subjects yet. He was so happy and had so much fun in front of the camera. I’ve never managed so many exposures in such a short period as this. Tell me what you think of these two pics!

Baby sitting on blocks.

I’m having so much fun at tom-szabo.com!

Portrait of baby

Don’t you think I’m cool?

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Necklace By Tom Szabo, Jeweler

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Necklace by Tom Szabo.

This is a new necklace created by Tom Szabo. The pendant consists of a 1 inch long Tiger Shark fossil tooth below a 5/8″ X 7/8″ Turquoise stone. The two pieces are silver plated wire wrapped for connection and stability hanging from an 18 inch long silver plated chain.

The silver chain, silver wire are striking against the fossil tooth and the Turquoise stone. As you can see, the necklace looks stunning against black.

The shark tooth was found by Tom Szabo while scuba diving off Venice beach on the gulf side of Florida. Tom will be creating more jewelry from the materials found during his dives – stay tuned!

For more information or pricing, contact Tom Szabo at:

440-354-2535 (Office)

440-725-6504 (Cell)

(Email)

www.tom-szabo.com

Necklace - Tiger Shark tooth fossil with turquoise stone.

Tiger Shark fossil tooth with Turquoise stone pendant on silver chain.

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Fashion Mags – Photo Lighting Tips

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Fashion Magazines – Photography Tips

Fashion magazines – OK, I admit to looking at them. No, No, really, I’m not that way. The fashion industry spends A LOT of money on photographers to advertise their products. So it stands to reason that they would be hiring the best fashion photographers, they can get. So why not look at their work for hints, tips and how to’s?

Next your going to ask me what should you look for. I’ll offer two things to look at: Poses and Lighting. Poses should be pretty straight forward. No you don’t have to expect your subjects to be professional models. But when you tell your child to hold for a picture, suggest body positioning or hand placement that you’ve observed in a magazine.

As far as lighting goes, start with reading catch lights. These are the white dots that appear in the subject’s eyes. If you look close enough you may be able to count the number of dots in a single eye. This will tell you how many light sources the photographer used. Upon further review you might be able to tell if they are round or square, further suggesting square reflectors, rectangular or square soft boxes or round for umbrellas.

In addition to the catch lights, look for highlights positioned against shadows. This will help you identify the main light position relative to the subject.

To help you get started, look at the images used in the article at this link. Tell me what you think or feel free to ask me your questions.

Girl poses in doorway.

Can you determine the light source and direction for this portrait?

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Light Planning

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Light Equals Photography

Light plays a powerful role in photography. In addition, it is relative. A scene/subject will often have varying degrees of illumination. These are commonly know as highlights and shadows. Both highlights and shadows can be a creative tool.

Your job as a photographer is to understand the it, evaluate it creatively and control how the camera captures it. Wildlife photographer Taylor Glenn does a great job of controlling how his wildlife portraits are lit. He often photographs captive animals in studio where he can plan and control the scene. To learn more.

Photography, Portrait, Pet, Cleveland, Northeast Ohio

Not all wildlife need be wild!

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Diarrhea Photography

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Crappy Photography

There’s no doubt that cell phone cameras have changed they way we approach taking pictures. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve heard me talk or rant about being smarter than the camera. With everyone walking around with a cell phone camera we’ve been allowed to take a lot of images that, well frankly are pretty crappy. The speed of which we generate all these bad images make me think of the term “diarrhea photography”

I really want people to discover the beauty of what they can “create” using their camera. So I’ve tried to bring you information to challenge your creative side and learn how to use the camera you have in your hand.

To that end check out this video showing how Jaanus Ree created his really cool winter action shot!

Give me your comments.

Photography - Male Portrait

No diarrhea photography here!

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Light – Composition For Photography

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Use Light and Composition

If you’ve been following me for a little while, you’ve heard me comment about understanding light in order to improve your photography. In the article attached to my post, I’d like you to examine the photographs of the artist – Vivienne Gucwa. First, notice how her images evoke a mood. Whether it’s the night scene or a snow storm. It sets the mood for the subject.

Secondly, when you look at her images do you notice your eye moving through the image. That’s her use of light combined with composition to accomplish that. Next time you pick up your camera think back to Vivienne’s images for inspiration. What are your thoughts?

Mount Rushmore Light Show

Electric lighting on Mount Rushmore at night.

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Golden Hour Photography?

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Golden Hour vs. Mid Day

The Golden Hour as referred to by photographers as the hour around sun up or sundown. The sun and atmosphere combine to give the photographer unique and colorful lighting. Photographers often avoid shooting mid day. Why? The more direct and overhead sun causes a lot of shadows, a lot of contrast and deep dark shadows.

So do you put the camera away during mod day? Absolutely not. This is where you have to be a photographer not a “snap-shot-er”. Huh? Yes, spend the time looking at the scene obviously for composition but also for lighting. Can you position your subject in a location where the lighting is softer and away from dark shadows? Can you shoot in an area that is in shade? Of course you can. You may have to think a little bit and take the time to find a location that gives the light you want.

Take a look at what Chris Gampat has to say on this topic. At the same time look how He controlled the light in his images.

Golden Hour vs. mid day photography

Choose an environment that offers soft light. If needed, add fill flash.

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Portrait Creativity

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Portrait Photography And Creativity.

Creativity, portrait photography can be the the most intimidating art form. It intimidates the photographer and the subject. Often you’ll hear subjects ask “what should I do?” and photographers themselves will wonder how to pose and work with the subject.

Often I’ll look at other photographer’s work for inspiration. Not to duplicate mind you but to  get inspired. Sometime I get a sense of WOW – and others I may just scratch my head wondering.

Well, I came upon this post illustrating the work of Denise Kwong. In my mind, it was a mixed bag of WOW and HUH?. Tell me what you think.

 

Portrait photography

Traditional head shot for a graduating high school senior.

Portrait photography tom-szabo.com

Relaxed portrait pose for a high school senior.

 

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Scuba Diver Brave, Stupid Or Lucky.

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Scuba Diver Touches Shark!

I caught this scuba diver article on my FB feed. The image was of a diver reaching out from a shark cage to touch the snout of a great white shark. Brave, Stupid or Lucky?

Apparently the cage was baited to attract the animal(s).  I tend to disagree with feeding as a way to attract animals – well except maybe birds. I’ve seen animals become very friendly with divers who feed them regularly. While this is cute, I’m not sure it’s geed for the animal.

Every critter in the food chain has a purpose. Maybe it’s population control, eliminating the sick or injured or keeping the environment clean. I believe associating humans with a food source is not in the animal’s interest. Anyway, read the article and check out the picture. Then give me your thoughts!

scuba diver, tom szabo, tom-szabo.com, scuba diving instructor, sharks

Shark Feeding? Your thoughts. Image by Tom Szabo.

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Portraits – Duck Lips & Selfies, OUT? Let’s Hope!

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Portraits are to become more creative and to speak more about the individual(s) according to report of what’s trending in photography for 2016. So, to become more creative in your photography, does that mean you may actually understand how to be creative? Gee do you think! In addition your images should speak to who is your subject?

Gee this sounds like what Professional Photographers have been doing and want to continue doing. Sorry folks, but it really is about Art. Check out the original article.

Portraits, tom-szabo.com, tom szabo, photographer

What can you learn about this young man from his portrait?

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This Portrait Video Will Make You Think About Lighting

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Portrait Photography And Lighting.

Portrait photography requires that you always think about lighting. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a boat-load of studio equipment or a cell phone. I found this short video demonstrating 3 different set ups. These set ups will demonstrate how you can change the result using some minor tweaks of lighting.

Obviously you’ll notice how much equipment a professional photographer uses. That’s not the point. The point here is when taking a picture of another person or persons, you have to open your eyes and plan your shot accordingly. I hope you find the video helpful! Feel free to post your questions, comments or thoughts.

tom szabo, tom-szabo.com, portrait photographer for families, high school students and executives

Notice how your eye is drawn to the subject in this image?

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Scuba Divers + Underwater Gardens

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Scuba Divers have begun to plant gardens underwater.

I suppose if certain aquatic plants will do well underwater, than why not vegetables. Using huge bubbles in 26 feet of water, they have started growing lettuce. The whole project has been going on for 3 years. Seeds and soil need to to be brought down in sealed containers. Scuba divers are able to work in the air filled bubbles without wearing a mask. You can read more in the full article.

scuba diver

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Think About The Colors To Enhance Your Portraiture

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Tom Szabo

Do you really love your family? Silly question right? Because you love them, why would you share them through lousy pictures? Today with the proliferation of smart phone camera technology, it’s too easy to shoot without thinking. I suggest taking about 3 seconds to examine your subject and their surroundings before you start snapping away. Of course think about the lighting, but don’t forget about the colors in the subject and scene. The color scheme should compliment the subject not cause conflict. Check out what Chris Gampat has to say on this topic.

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Sharks – Why I love Scuba Diving!

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Tom Szabo

As a scuba diver, I get to see a world that very people get to see. A lot of people ask me: Aren’t you afraid of sharks? I usually tell them I’d rather be w it sharks down below that having them chase me at the surface – Like on a surf board! Check out this video clip.

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Make Shutter Speed A Photography Tool

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Tom Szabo

If you have read some of my posts, you may have read this before: “You’ve got to be smarter than the camera!” That means understanding how the camera works and camera limitations. Cell phone manufacturers want you to believe that you can take professional photos with their product. Well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut! Good images are made not taken. So that means what I said earlier – “You’ve got to be smarter than the camera!”

Lets start with one of the tools used to create good images – Shutter Speed. Simply the time the sensor is exposed to light from a scene or subject. That time be be a fraction of a second to minutes. Shutter speed can be a very creative tool. Read on to learn more and see some wonderful examples.

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Photography To Tell A Story

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Tom Szabo

Newspaper and magazine photographers always intrigued me. They would take their camera to a  story and find just the right images to help convey the story. Think about story telling the next time you have your camera in your hands. Maybe you’re watching your kids or grand children at play or maybe you want to share some images from a trip you took. Think about the key elements of story telling. Here’s a recent post I found that talks about the very topic of story telling. Afterwards, try sharing some of your photo results.

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Cell Phone Camera – Finally Some Helpful Info!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Tom Szabo

I’ve read a lot of articles written about how to use your cell phone camera to get what’s inferred to as professional results. The articles are generally written by a “technology” writer not a photographer. They all sound the same and suggest violating some of the well established photography basics. They make me fume!

You’ve heard me say this before: You have to be smarter than the camera! The camera is a tool toward a creative end. Another one of my favorites is: A bad photo with and Instagram filter is STILL a bad photo only it has an Instagram filter applied.

Finally I found a well written article offering some helpful hints to help improve your cell phone photography:

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Don’t Photograph Children Sports Unless You Mean It!

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Tom Szabo

Do Your Kids Play Sports?

I see a lot of my friends on FaceBook posting pictures of their kids playing sports. Frankly, the pictures are not very good. Sorry folks, but I calls em as I sees em!  As in all photography, you have to pay attention to the lighting. Start by moving so the light is at your back. Otherwise, just put your cell phone back in purse or pocket. Next look around for a telephoto lens adaptor. You need a telephoto lens to get in tight. Last, put your camera into “sports” mode or make sure you’re using a high ISO and high shutter speed (1/500 sec or faster). Don’t believe me? Read what David Berding has to say about photographing Hockey.

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Photographers – We All Were Beginners!

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Tom Szabo

As a photographer and a Scuba Instructor, I often tell beginners: “We all started as beginners”. It’s a thought we should all remember. We need to be reminded that we had to work to get where we are today. Here’s an interesting blog post that talks about the road we travel to improve as photographers:

A Declaration Of Love To All Our Crappy Shots

Enjoy!

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Photography – The Camera Made Simple!

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Tom Szabo

This is so cool! A blog post recently came across my inbox that contains a diagram that totally explains your camera and lens operation. Check it out, I’m sure you’ll want to bookmark it for future reference.

Infographic: The Complete Guide to Photography for Beginners

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Portrait Of A Proud Young Man!

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Tom Szabo

Recently one of my high school seniors wanted to go on-location in addition to his studio session. No problem, where would you like to go? Being a member of the swim team, he replied: Let’s go where there is water! So off to the beach we went.

Here in northeast Ohio, we are lucky to live near the beach in Fairport Harbor Ohio. It just so happens near the mouth of the Grand River, there is a monument that includes an American flag. So up he went and we captured this image.

Outdoor location shots like these, can often put the subjects face in harsh shadow. So I powered up my flash to match the ambient exposure and fired away. I like this shot. What do you think??

young man under American flag monument.

High school senior photographed on-location at Fairport Harbor, Ohio.

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